


Chance Encounters

by Apulchritudinousdreamer



Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-03-12 22:10:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13556592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apulchritudinousdreamer/pseuds/Apulchritudinousdreamer
Summary: Claire walks Randall's dog because of Geillis. Jamie runs her over. Randall wants to date Claire while Geillis is trying to date Randall by walking the same dog-Claire ropes Jamie into being her boyfriend for the limited time it takes to walk through a hallway at Uni to avoid Randall. Confused yet? Understandable. Reading this thing will hopefully clear things up. Eventually.





	1. Meet Cute

"Of course," I thought to myself," just my luck!" At this point I realised I was muttering out loud for anyone to hear. Luckily, I was the only mental enough person currently outside fighting for survival against the horrible cold. A cold, I might add, that tried to seep into my being and slowly, sneakily, lower my body temperature without alerting me to it, until I was frozen to death. Alright, being a medical student, I knew that was not completely true, but still… The dog turned around at that moment and stared at me, definitely judging my bitterness. I sighed, it wasn't the dog's fault that the pavement was more ice rink than concrete at the moment. No, if I really were to blame anyone it had to be Geillis and her stupid infatuation with her history professor. 

This morning around 5AM a frantic phone call had abruptly stirred me from desperately needed sleep and I had not responded well to the brutal murder of my imagined REM-cycle. Having briefly registered the name on the caller ID, I'd murmured a threat.  
"The only- I repeat, only- reason you're allowed to call someone this early is if you're dying or are currently having a shotgun to your face and have forgotten every other number in your listings and need me to call the police."  
"Good morning to you too love!" Geillis had had the nerve to laugh in regard to my grumpiness.  
After another grunt and something that might have resembled a proper greeting from me, Geillis had revealed the reason for her early cellular terror. 

It turned out that in her quest to win over the heart of the head of the history department, a man old enough to be her father, (and frequently observed wearing layer upon layer of tweed) she had offered to walk his dog. After a few confusing seconds, I learned that Geillis had offered to walk Moffit before realizing she had a paper due that very same day. To sum up her explanation, she had to go on a mad goose chase across campus to locate someone in her class that had loaned the only copy the Uni library had of said book.

Though I questioned how walking a terrier, named after a Silence of the Lambs character (why?), would end up having professor Tweed fall I love with her, or how this even came to be, I hadn't had the energy to ask further questions as the sun was still not up and my eyes were slowly closing while still trying to keep up with the conversation. In hindsight, I still blame Geillis for what happened next. Having been my roommate for close to two years now, she should know that even though I might give off the impression of being a functional human being when someone speaks to me before a cup of coffee, I usually have no recollection as to what I have said, or more importantly perhaps, what someone has asked me. That's how our kitchen plant died from lack of water and how the ice cream transformed back to its liquid state.

It was this human flaw that broke my concentration in the middle of evening anatomy class as a blue hue lighted up the inside of my purse. I quickly threw my jacket over the offending object to cause as little stir as possible. After making sure I knew what the professor was talking about I reached into the pit of doom to retrieve the offending object. One unopened message from Geillis. As I read it, it just slipped out.  
"Bloody hell!"  
A quick look up from the phone revealed that my cursing had not exactly gone unnoticed.  
I gave a sheepish smile and a "sorry" and sunk back in my chair waiting for the professor to continue his lecture.  
"All good LJ?" Next to me sat Joe Abernathy looking at me with a perfect mixture of shock and mirth. I did swear like a sailor, especially when I was stressed, but I usually kept myself in line during class hours.  
"Sorry Joe", I sighed, "I forgot that I had been roped into the latest instalment of the Insane Love Life of Ms. Duncan saga and I completely forgot and now I have to go walk Prof. Tweed's serial killer dog." This was met with a look from Joe that said more clarification was needed. I tried my best to explain what had occurred in the wee hours before dawn.  
Joe just laughed.  
"Well, better you than me. Just remember to bulk up, the snow has been coming down for the last three hours," Joe advised.  
"What?" I asked confused. I had been stuck in two different auditoriums for the past six hours attending classes and hadn't had the mind to look out. The small windows above the stage in front confirmed a maelstrom of flurry white particles visible underneath the light from the street lamp outside.  
"Great," I huffed. Good thing I had accumulated a sizable winter wardrobe during my two years living in Scotland. 

So, there I was, looking like the purple version of the Michelin-man one hour later, staggering away down the park next to campus barely holding on to Moffit's leech on the ice. 

"Stupid Geillis, stupid Tweed, stupid ice and…," I took a deep breath. There were people freezing in Siberia at this very moment and I was being petty. And acting like a twelve-year old. Just because Geillis was trying to find love, albeit in a little unconventional way and I was not, didn't mean I shouldn't be there for her as the supportive best friend I was. Even though Tweed was... well. To each their own. I sighed and took a deep breath, "You can do this Beauchamp." Moffit seemed to agree and wiggled his tail my way. 

Alright, I thought to myself, this wasn't too bad, at least Moffit was cooperating. As long as I was back at campus with him before his owner got home and hadn't broken anything vital on the ice before then, I'd say the day had been a success.  
God, I was looking forward to a cup of steaming hot tea while pouring over my notes for tomorrow's class. My nose was closer in colour to my jacket than my normal skin tone and it was running very unladylike. I was just happy no one was silly enough to be outside in the harsh weather to see me like this. 

Moffit and I was on the home stretch when it happened. The park affiliated with the campus is known for its sharp corners and narrow pathways. While it makes for a pretty scenery, especially during spring and summer with flowers on the branches hanging low over the brick stone pavement, it also makes it very easy to be run down by someone who is off equal understanding that they are all one in the park. Miss Moffit had just stopped to sniff at something that had caught his interest when I heard someone come fast down the same pathway we were at. Unfortunately, Moffit did not understand the urgency of moving and the ice made it very hard to move fast enough while trying to keep a human body vertical with the ground. The last words coming out of my mouth before plummeting to the ground were as unladylike as the snot running from my nose. 

The air rushed out of my lungs and I felt the pressure of a very heavy body on top of my own.  
"Begging your pardon lass, you alright?" A breathless, yet calming voice tried to assess the damage done by running down another significantly smaller body.  
Apparently, this was the day of undignified responses as I head myself grunt in reply.  
I had yet to open my eyes, so I had no idea that a set of deep blue eyes were looking at me with a combination of amusement and concern. A second later a very wet nose and tongue attempted CPR on the parts of my face that was not obscured by my equally pink scarf. 

"Moffit!" For one horrible second, I thought it had been the runner that had taken quite the liberty with my mouth, but the little terrier's breath had no human match as far as I knew.  
"Get off," I said, talking to the dog. It didn't occur to me that my human body pillow thought I was talking to him.  
"I'm so sorry," he stuttered, while trying to scramble to his feet. Once on solid ground he gave me a helping hand.  
"No, I'm sorry, I was trying to get Moffit here to get out of the way, but apparently he had different ideas. And, I was talking to the dog. I'd gladly have a sweaty man on top of me," I said while brushing snowflakes off my bum.  
The silence that followed made me realize I had lost all kind of filters that an upstanding citizen of the world had been taught from a young age. I counted my lucky stars I had yet to make eye contact with the man.  
"That came out very wrong, I meant, since it's so cold… and I'm going to go now, that way, away from," I made mad gesticulations with my arms, before turning around and yelling "bye!" over my shoulder. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief about two important things when I heard footsteps behind me. One, I had gotten away quickly, and two, I was covered in so many layers of clothes that if the runner was a student at the Uni, he'd hopefully not recognize me in the hallways. It would turn out that I was wrong on both accounts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here's a list of disclaimers!  
> 1\. Not a native English speaker or writer. Sorry in advance.  
> 2\. Doing this because I desperately need to be creative in one way or another.  
> 3\. (see 2) I work crazy hours which I have absolutely no control over, which is why updates are gonna be all over the place, much like my brain.  
> 4\. If you hate it, please let me know. If you detest it only slightly, please let me know? Reason you should do this: I need something to sustain my brain while at said work with those crazy hours. I work with people. Like, customer people who are always right and never wrong and usually rarely decent. (Though there are a few old gentlemen that are as sweet as can be that makes up for all the 40-50 something housewives that snap their fingers at you and mistakes you for a dog.  
> 5\. Right now, you might be wondering where on earth I work… (see 4)  
> 6\. About the story: Hopefully they'll seem more in character as the story progresses. I think I'll play around a little with POV for the first two or three chapters, but then it'll flow a little better? Hopefully? Who knows. This is where you can complain to me. (see 4) Also, that title... Could have been better. Also, did I mention this was rushed? I just wanted to get it up before bed/work.  
> 7\. Think this is obligatory: do not own the characters, nor the show. Things would be a little different.  
> 8\. Wow, you've made it this far? Well then…. Thank you! And expect more rambling soon. I appreciate your eyes following my typed words down a laptop/mac or phone screen. Oh, or Ipad/tablet. (It's 2018: everyone is equal, and love is love.) Night!


	2. Unforgettable

Chuckling and appreciating her candid words, I took in the clearly flustered vision in purple and noticed a stray woolly object on the pavement.  
"Sorry lass, you dropped…," I held up the purple mitten as a peace offering only to realise she was gone.  
I looked around the park and saw soft paw prints in the freshly fallen snow, alongside tracks looking to give Bambi a run for his money. Her money? Why had I never thought to check if Bambi was a female or male mule deer? Wait… At the end of the book he had antlers. Though both female and male mule deer can have antlers… Jamie, get a grip. I shook my head. I might have hit it a wee bit during my recent collision. 

I continued down the path she had gone moments before and soon found the owner of the missing mitten talking to the little terrier. Or rather, having a rather adorable one-way conversation with it.  
The purple lady was standing a little distance away from the dog, her back turned.  
"Could you please just get on with your business? Look," she indicated with her hands," I'm giving you privacy. I know you have fur, but please think about those less fortunate than you… and it's not like you have notes you need to review before bed."  
Moffit turned his head and gave a little bark. The woman turned back to the unpredictable animal.  
"Do you need encouragement? Permission?" She smiled when the dog gave another little bark and wagged his tail. Rolling her eyes, the next words were said with a dramatic flair.  
"Darling Moffit, you may go to the bathroom now," she laughed exasperated while giving a little bow only to see the dog staring dumbly at its walker.  
I had deducted as much now. No way this woman was a dog owner on a regular basis.  
"Something tells me this is not how you usually spend your Tuesday evenings," I said, making her aware of my presence.  
"You again!" She looked startled at first, but then went straight to embarrassed.  
"I can't believe you just witnessed that," she laughed while shaking her head trying to bury it in the one mitten she was not missing.  
"Dinna fash yerself, I talk to my plants all the time. This is not so different. This one can actually talk back, so really, I suppose it's a step up," I replied trying to make her feel more at ease.  
"Perhaps if they talked back they could shout ever now and then that they need water, so I don't continue killing them off one by one," she said, deep in thought.  
"You could try a cactus. The less you do to them, the better off they are, aye?" I could slap myself. I was standing next to a beautiful woman in a place that looked like a Christmas card, tiny snowflakes flurried around us making it appear like we were in a Hallmark movie and I was talking about cactuses. To my surprise she actually smiled and thanked me for the suggestion.  
There was a moment of silence where all we could hear was the soft sounds of the dog doing an archaeological dig in the snow with his tiny paws. I was afraid I was making it uncomfortable by not speaking, but the woman didn't seem to mind as she had her eyes closed and a tiny secret smile on her lips.  
I just stared at her and wondered how it was that I had not seen her before when she caught herself and once again appeared embarrassed.  
"I'm so sorry," she gave a little self-deprecating chuckle, "It's just… Can you hear how quiet it is?" She closed her eyes again, head tilted to the sky.  
"Between classes, the library, roommates, students everywhere you go on campus, bloody hell, even the traffic… I'd almost forgotten how silence makes me feel."  
"Like you can finally breathe again…" I said under my breath, following her lead and closing my eyes.  
"Exactly," she agreed taking a deep breath.  
We stood there for a moment until Moffit figured out we humans had been acting strange enough and gave a satisfying bark, proudly revealing his little puddle of yellow in the snow.  
"Oh, thank God!" The woman said, giving the dog a brilliant smile before turning to me.  
"I'm sorry for making you run into us, though I'll blame this little one and not my coordination and thank you for the cactus tip and also for not making me feel weird about talking to a dog and appreciating silence like a lunatic," she said on one long breath.  
I handed her the mitten she had not yet realized she was missing.  
"And thank you for making sure my hand will not freeze to death before I make it home tonight," she once again chuckled.  
"Anytime," I said smiling back at her.  
After a moment of just looking at each other, something that would had have been awkward had she been anyone else, the terrier realised there was something of deep importance in the opposite direction. Without paying the dog much attention, she smiled self-consciously in the direction of her shoes.  
"I guess I better go," she said.  
"Aye, I guess it's getting pretty late," I said while scratching my head trying to come across casual when I was anything but.  
"Thank you again for… well, you know," she said raising the mitten that was now on her hand.  
"Anytime," I said, and I meant it.

 

\------------->\------------>\----------->\------------->\-------------

 

"Are you daft, man?" Ian was barely holding it together.  
"What?" I asked, trying to sound indignant.  
"You're telling me you just met a woman, something you have never said in all the years I've known you -and I distinctly remember a picture of us in your house of us in diapers, so we've known each other too long- and you're telling me you didn't get her name?"  
"I've mentioned women before!" I said, arms thrown up with a complimentary huff.  
"Actresses you fancy in movies doesn't count," Ian fired back.  
"There have been others… that I just can't recall…right now," I finished lamely.  
"Alright, so what do we have to work with her?" Ian rubbed his hands together.  
"What do you mean," I asked warily.  
"Jamie, we have to find her! Imagine Jenny's face when I tell her you've finally found someone and won't be living with us until you're old and grey!" Ian gave me a bright grin.  
"Unbelievable man, you know I'd make the perfect tenant!" I gibed good heartedly, "And I'm younger than you, thank you very much. And also, you will not mention this to my sister and I will have you swear to that with a good old-fashioned blood oath if you try anything." I paced our little cramped living room/kitchen/training space. Though Ian and I shared a room on campus, Ian and Jenny would be moving into our family estate when they were both done with their schooling.  
"You're taking all the fun out of this," Ian gave a dramatic sigh, "at least tell me what she looked like. I'm curious to figure out if you have a type or something. Was she human?"  
I gave Ian a stare that should explain to him how stupid of a question that was.  
"Alright, so now we have established that your type is human at the very least, and don't look at me like that, you know you had an unhealthy relationship with the horses when you were a wee bairn," he finished.  
"Will you quit it with the horses! Once! I looked at two horses having sex once! By accident I might add! I never should have told you I thought that was how humans did it! And I was ten!"  
"Alright, alright, get down from your high horse..." Ian let that hang in the air for a few moments before cracking himself up. My future brother in law and best friend had not caught my sisters eye because of his brilliant humour.  
"Are we done with the horses now?" I gave him another look.  
"Of course, of course… a horse is a horse," Ian muttered under his breath, before looking up at me giving me his equivalent of puppy eyes. Another thing he wasn't good at.  
"Put those away before I tell my sister you're coming on to her brother," I said sarcastically.  
"Alright, alright. In all seriousness, how did she look?" Ian leaned forward in the chair to showcase how focused he was.  
"Er… well, I didn't really get a good look at her?" I fumbled.  
"I'm sorry if I'm being daft here man, but did you not just tell me you had a conversation with her?" Ian asked.  
"Aye, but you see, she was sort of bundled up in a lot of layers because of the cold?"  
"When you say bundled up, how much did you actually see?" Ian blinked slowly.  
"Well, she has bonny eyes for sure. That I do know. Blue I think. And she's tall. And soft…" I was brought back to our apartment by a pillow thrown in my face.  
"I won't apologize for that throw. So, what you're really saying here, lover boy, is that you don't know her name and there's a very wee chance you'd be able to pick her out of a crowd if you ever saw her again," Ian looked like he was moments away from tearing his hair out.  
"Aye, when you put it like that… but I'd know her voice and her eyes. That's something?" I tried lamely.  
"Is there anything else you can tell me about her that could narrow this down? It's not like we can make you talk to all the lady students at this university… Or, we could, but I'm sure it would take time and cause a whole lot of problems when women find out you are actually on the market and not a hermit," Ian finished.  
"Weel. She did have a dog, but it wasn't hers, so I'm not sure how much that'll help?"  
"It's more information than I had a second ago, so spill!" Ian said excitedly.  
"You are taking this way more seriously than I thought you would," I said.  
"This has never happened before and imagine when I tell Jenny I helped find you a girlfriend. She wouldn't know what to do to repay me!"  
"That is my sister you're talking about, so I will ignore everything you just said and go drink some bleach now," I said, heading for the bathroom.  
"Oh, will you stop it! I want a man-cave and I'm trying to build up some good faith!"  
"That is comforting to know, and also knowing Jenny, that will never happen, but I will help you furnish the attic over the garage and install the sound system if we never talk about my sister in any way shape or form with added, albeit accidental, innuendo."  
"Deal," Ian agreed with a nod, "now tell me about this dog."  
"Alright, it was a terrier I think…" I tried to recall. I had been a little distracted by the softness of her curves when she had said its name.  
"Moffit!" I recalled, "Aye, I think she called the wee rascal Moffit", I finished exited over being able to focus my brain enough to remember.  
I looked at Ian expecting a matching grin, but instead I saw him shaking his head and give a loud sigh.  
"What?" I asked, "There can't be that many terriers on campus being named after Silence of the Lambs characters?"  
"No," Ian looked at me with sorrow in his yes, "you're right about that… In fact, I think there might only be one, and that one belongs to none other than Professor Randall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers:  
> WHATEVER I DO THE STUPID DISCLAIMERS FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER WON'T GO AWAY!   
> Numero Ono: (not sure why I'm listing things in Spanish)  
> Jamie is going to sound very un-scottish because 1: Word keeps automatically changing words on me when I'm not looking. (I thought I was in control, but the day robots take over the world is closing in on us) 2: I need to go to Scotland very soon in order to get the lingo down. (I'll try where possible, but if any Scots are reading this I'd be open for a quick Scottish 101-lesson.)  
> Numero dos: Did I warn you guys about changing the POV sometime during the first set of disclaimers? If not, sorry to sneak that up on you, it might happen in the next chapter, but my brain has yet to decide.  
> Numero tres: Can we just forget that the last chapter ended with Claire hearing footsteps? Because I definitely absolutely completely realised that they would be very muted by her many layers of clothes and Moffit's little barks. (…and it has nothing, absolutely no chance on earth, what so ever, to do with the fact that I just realised I had written that and I don't know how to go back and change it. *note to self: figure out how this site works/become more tech savvy- OR just remember what you wrote a week ago. All good options.) 
> 
>  
> 
> Note: Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments! Checking my phone sneakily in my pocket at work has become so much fun! Thank you thank you! Hope you'll enjoy wherever this journey ends up taking us! (I have no idea, I know some things but other things… just happens. I know there will be a few confrontations in the next chapter, I can tell you that much) Peace out!


	3. Honesty and truth

I had a lot of serious questions running through my mind. Who had that man been, and how much snot had he seen were the big firsts. Also, why did I insist on making things weird by appreciating the silence in the middle of the park? I mean, come on Beauchamp. The silence?! While there was another person present? A very warm, tall Greek-like, (or rather Viking perhaps? Highlander? Scotland has highlands after all) type man, present? Now I finally understood what Joe meant when he said I wasn't always very aware of the things happening around me. "You have the power of seeming present when your mind is a million miles away, LJ." Why couldn't I have found something romantic to appreciate, like… The lack of exhaust in the park, or… I stopped for a second because Moffit decided to tinkle again.   
"Wow, I really don't know how to flirt".

Also, I needed to take inventory of my brain, because we, brain and self, did not have time to go gallivanting around campus running into hot bodies, neither literally nor figuratively when there was one goal in mind, a medical degree. Geillis was the adventurous lover type in our apartment, I was the one killing cactuses left and right, tearing my hair out over the amount of clinical terms I had to memorise. 

"54….56….58...," I was counting the numbers on the brownstones to my left while trying to keep my balance on the treacherous ice. Geillis had been kind enough to escort Moffit to the park and meet me there, basically throwing the leech at me running away with a heartfelt "sorry", but since she was currently at the library, I had to get the little terrier back to Randall all by my lonesome self. I checked my watch; 22:45. I sighed. There were two possible scenarios for what was going to happen. Either Professor Tweed had a housekeeper who was willing to accept the dog, or I would have to face the professor and hand him said dog myself. I snorted. My experience with university professors were not limited, and I had yet to encounter anyone with a housekeeper. 

"Buckle up Beauchamp. Time to face the music." 

I was looking at the wooden door with dread. There was a little window to the left of the door and I could see there was a light on in the living room. I braced myself and raised my hand to use the little intricate door knocker. I was wondering about the design when suddenly the door flung open and Professor Tweed was standing in front of me.   
There was a moment of silence where the man was just looking at me with a calm sense of curiosity. In another life he might have been handsome, so I could almost see what Geillis and all the other girls before her found attractive about him, but there was a hardness to his face that chilled me. Something about how his expression never revealed anything and his smile never seemed to reach his eyes. I had seen him around campus, and I knew my Uncle Lamb's office were in the same wing as Randall's, but I knew next to nothing about the man other than his scholarly achievements. Perhaps, or rather, hopefully for Geillis' sake, there was more to him than reached my eyes. 

"I'm sorry miss, may I help you?" 

"Pardon? Oh, yes," I said, realising I had just knocked on his door and failed to explain why. "I'm Claire, Geillis' friend and I have your dog." At this point Moffit decided to greet his master and flee from the sanctuary of some bushes he had been exploring. Just then a horrid thought struck me, Randall hadn't seen the leech I was holding behind my back, and not the dog attached to it, what if he thought I was one of those girls who wanted to throw themselves after him? I quickly tried to explain myself the best that I could while I shuffled my feet back and forth discreetly trying to get warmth back to my toes. 

"So, basically Miss. Duncan lured you into walking my dog?" He smiled.   
"Well, she can be rather convincing when in need, and she caught me half asleep, which contributed to me saying yes, so… Yes," I finished lamely. I really just wanted to get this over with, so I could go home and not obsess about the man that had been laying on top of me mere 18 minutes ago. I would not think of him. Instead, I would think of the last 36 of the 206 bones I had yet to fully nail the Latin pronunciation off.   
"Well, you're a good friend then, Miss Beauchamp," He once again said with a smile, leaning down to pet his dog.   
"I'm sorry, I didn't…" Red flags were coming up. "How do you know my name?" The rational part of my brain told me there was a perfectly reasonable explanation, that he might actually know Lamb and it had come up, but the other part of my brain was taking in the calculating look he was giving me. It didn't help the rational part that I had spent a plethora of summer evenings watching the detective work of Miss Marple in my childhood.   
"You are friends with Geillis, I'm sure it must have come up at some point."   
I would have much rather preferred he said he knew Lamb.   
"Right," I let it linger wondering what Miss Marple would have said to this, "…well, I must be off. I hope Moffit didn't suffer any emotional trauma on our walk." Then I turned around and speed walked home as fast as the ice allowed. 

\------------->\------------------>\---------------->\------------------->

When I burst open the door, snow falling from my boots leaving me standing in what would soon become a puddle, a sheepish Geillis came over and simply handed me a mug of hot chocolate.   
"Good start, but you're still getting me at least two tumblers of whiskey this weekend."   
"Alcohol? How very scandalous of you. Done." Geillis loved Drunk Claire and she so rarely made an appearance.   
I left a trail of clothes behind me and slowly climbed into the sofa where a blanket was waiting for me.

"So, what did Frank say?" Geillis joined me shortly with her own cup of hot chocolate. I had just started to feel my toes again when I was reminded of the creepy encounter with Randall.   
"Frank? You're on a first name basis with Mr. Tweed?" Geillis just gave me a look.   
"Right. He accepted the dog, and that was pretty much the end of that." Geillis knew I wouldn't stop there, so after a second, I voiced my opinion.   
"He…. Gives me the creeps, so please don't let him be in this apartment the next time you hang a sock on your door." I was dead serious, while Geillis' laugh revealed that she thought I was kidding.   
I took another sip while reaching for my bag that held all my notes. I started looking through them, but apparently my brain had other plans. Triquetral bone, pisiform… smelled good, trapezium… strong thighs… and that smile… Didn't I just have this talk with my brain? One goal, medical degree! 

"Did you finish your paper?" I asked absentmindedly, now looking for a pen to take some notes that was strictly professional thank you very much. When I triumphantly raised said pen in the air I was stopped from hollering something stupid like "victory!" by the look on Geillis' face.   
I narrowed my own eyes.   
"What?"  
"There's something different about ye, Claire," she said.   
"What do you mean, different?" Well, I guess I'm not usually covered in melting icicles, so that might be a little different.   
"You've met someone!" Geillis suddenly exclaimed.   
"How," I shook my head, "Just HOW do you do that?" I was too shocked by her gasp to rebut it.   
"They say I'm a witch," Geillis shrugged.   
"Who? Please tell me exactly who says you're a witch," I laughed.  
"Fine, a sixth sense, female intuition, call it whatever you want, it still doesn't change the fact that you, Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp, have a look on your face that says you've met someone, so spill before I make you!" She tossed a pillow at my face.   
"One day you're going to have to teach me how to do that," I said in awestruck horror.   
"Claire, I love you dearly, but for the love of all that is holy…" at this point Geillis was almost shaking with excitement. I still don't understand the enigma that is Geillis Duncan. On one hand she is a hopeless romantic, but on the other she is a ruthless practical woman who knows what she wants and gets it, no matter the obstacles. In a fight, you would want Geillis to be on your side. 

I was wondering how long I could stall before the little vein in her forehead would make an appearance. Having lived with Geillis for two years now I knew just what made her tick.   
A few seconds later….and there it was. I smiled cruelly.   
"Fine. I'll tell you, but first you have to swear to me that no matter what happens, I will never have to walk to Professor Tweed's house alone at night in the dark ever again no matter the circumstances." I crossed my arms over my chest. This was not up for discussion.   
"Claire, I promise. I'll even swear that you'll never have to hear his name from my lips again if you'd just tell me what happened tonight!" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  
"Fine, at least for a week. I will not speak about his loins or other physical attributes for a whole week and I'll make you one cup of coffee, every day, for the next week. Anytime of your choosing, as long as I'm not in class or doing something else that is not being here, studying in our apartment."  
We shook on it.  
"Now, tell me all about it!"  
"Alright, are you ready for this?" I braced myself, making sure Geillis was hanging on to every breath that I took. "Yes!"   
"There is…." I took another deep breath, I could practically feel Geillis vibrating with anticipation on the seat next to me, "…absolutely nothing to tell."   
Geillis blinked once, then twice and then there was another pillow thrown in my face.   
"Fine, fine, fine!" I deserved that. I decided to shield the rest of my body from a third attack.   
"It was nothing, really, I was walking Moffit, in the freezing cold by the way, which is why I added another Whiskey to our agreement, and I was run over by a man."   
"You… were ran over by a man… while out walking Moffit," Geillis looked at me like I had just told her I was a time traveller.   
"There better be more to this story Beauchamp." 

\------------->\------------------>\---------------->\------------------->

Geillis had found it prudent to make us another cup of hot chocolate, and the notes I was supposed to be reviewing for class tomorrow had migrated to the far left side on our little coffee table, replaced by Geillis' computer which had an open tab to Facebook.   
"I still can't believe you didn't ask for his name or number," Geillis muttered while taking another sip.   
"How do you just naturally drop that into a conversation? And also, you don't understand! I was standing there, knee deep in snot, looking like a snowed in rat, and there he was, all greek- God I don't even know, something out of this world looking, and I just had to get away from there before the snot reached my mouth!"  
Geillis looked at me, then to our kitchen, then back at me again.   
"We need another cup of hot chocolate." 

\------------->\------------------>\---------------->\------------------->

"I still can't believe you said you wanted him on top of you." Studying had gone out the window hours ago, and I was currently sprawled over our little brown faux leather couch with a tartan flannel pyjama and t-rex shaped slippers. Geillis was wearing a black hoodie over her own pink pyjamas, stating; "this is what they wear in the movies when they have to deep dive the web, Claire! I'm just getting into character!" and the sun was closer to coming up than going down.   
"I need help. Serious, mental help. And to never be left out in public alone when there's a chance there will be a specimen of that calibre walking around."   
We had gone into full girly status which had never happened before, and I found the experience… odd, but not completely unwelcome. Between classes and the library and endless deadlines we rarely got a chance to geek out over anything, especially something so uncharacteristic (from my side) as boys.   
"That's the part I find fascinating."   
"What? The probability that there may or might not be Gods walking around us, we just don't know?"  
"No, the fact that you spaced out like that. You've never had a problem articulating while talking to men before, and you always hold your own when someone is flirting with you. So, I wonder what is so special about this man…" Geillis now had sixteen open Facebook profiles in search of the mystery man.   
"Flirting? What do you mean? I don't flirt?" This was actually genuine news to me.  
"Yes, you do, but you do it so flawlessly because you have no idea that you're flirting back because you're oblivious to the fact that you are being flirted with in the first place. It's truly fascinating to watch."   
"What? When has that ever happened?"  
"Today, or just in general?"   
"Wait, are you serious?" Where had I been when this had taken place?   
"This afternoon before class, a guy bought you coffee because he said you had a nice smile, you thanked him and told him you'd get the next one if you ever ran into him again," Geillis said absentmindedly clicking to another profile.   
"You mean Samuel? He's just a friend! We had classes together last semester."   
"He was flirting with you."   
"No, he wasn't!" Of this I was pretty sure.   
"Yes, he was, and I'll explain why and how later, but first I need you to see if it was any of these guys," Geillis turned the computer towards me and showed me a photo of the football team. I shook my head in the negative. 

"Why are we doing this again?" I sighed. "It's not like I'll ever see him again, and if I did, I'm pretty sure he does not want to speak to the freaky lady who talked about cactuses and the lack of sound in the middle of a park. Not to mention that he caught me talking to a dog."   
The more I thought about it, the more the whole thing started to sound ridiculous. I was not the kind of woman who would just drop everything for a man. 

"Geillis, we should just stop and go to bed," I sighed when the only response was puppy eyes and another photo turned towards me. I didn't even bother to look up at the photo.   
"Honestly, I don't have time for men, otherworldly or not, because I have an exam on Friday," I said, starting to shift my notes back into my bag. Geillis was not having it. 

"Where is your sense of adventure? What if this man is the love of your life? You're just going to ignore that?" Geillis once again brought out the puppy eyes before she got serious.  
"Look, Claire, I get it. Studying is important to you, as it should be. I know why you want to dedicate your life to helping others, but sometimes you need to help yourself too. This might be one of those 'sometimes'.  
I was seriously tired and so was Geillis.   
"That… was… both very beautiful and also most likely something you stole from a romantic comedy," I snickered. I guess I wasn't only tired but also high on sugar.   
"I promise to come back stronger tomorrow with a better inspirational speech because I think this might actually lead to something," Geillis said on a yawn.   
"I shall be patiently looking forward to it," I replied, giving her a hug while she staggered towards her bedroom with a 'good night' accompanied by another yawn. 

I had just finished clearing away our used cups and half eaten chip bag when I reached for the computer to shut it down for the night. Staring back at me from the glowing screen was a man with flaming red hair and a smile that could melt the remaining icicles probably still attached to my boots by our front door. The name underneath the picture simply read, 'James Fraser'.   
"Fuck." 

 

 

 

 

Next up: (I am NOT doing proper endnotes again until I figure out how it will not triple in length because it adds all the other notes. Imagine you having to read all that…)   
Claire and Jamie finally meet again, and I hope it's going to be glorious *winky face*. Thank you so much for the interest in this little weirdo story! If I could, I'd give you all hot chocolate. (Unless you're lactose intolerant, then we'd go for something else.) I have some replying to do, but it's also 2 in the morning and I have work tomorrow, so I'll do that asap. Bye!


	4. Say something

I was lying in bed, and there was absolutely no reason I should not be asleep. Or rather, I knew I had to pee (that's what you get for indulging in as many cups of hot chocolate as Geillis and I had) and I knew it was unfair to my bladder, but I really didn't want to leave the comfort of my warm bed. Ignoring my phone that kept flashing every now and then, I just lay there and took in my surroundings. To my left there was a solid wooden desk filled with random cups of pens and markers, a lone coffee cup and a dead plant. On my wall were a few scattered art posters and my favourite, a birthday gift from Joe last year, a picture of a skeleton with the text, "Smacked my funny bone on the dresser, I did not find it humerus." Regardless of the lame humour, it never failed to make me smile. I looked around some more and realised I was due a laundry day on account of the many clothing items scattered on and around my hardworking multipurpose desk chair. My phone flashed again.  
"Oh, bloody hell," I muttered on a breath and reached for the phone innocently tempting me with its flashes from my bedside table. The only reason it was laying screen up, was so that it would hopefully wake me up with its light in the morning.

The first thing my phone informed me about was the fact that the time was 3:24 in the morning which meant I had about… 3 hours and 39 minutes until I had to get up, shower, quickly read through my notes and be out the door for my morning anatomy class.  
Which was just another reason I should be asleep now and not sleepily scroll though my social media. The text that had flashed was from Geillis- one room down, but apparently not asleep either- despite her previous yawning.  
The text simply said, 'is this the guy?' and then there was a picture attached. I laughed and sent her back a 'Yes! How ever did you find him?!' accompanied by a wink emoji. It was a picture of a highlander cow supposedly named Wilbert.

After Twitter and checking my email, (where I discovered a £15 gift card from Uncle Lamb for because he had to cancel our weekly brunch, 'Sorry Love, this should keep you caffeinated for at least half a day! See you Sunday!'), I opened Facebook.  
There he was again, staring at me like he knew I was up at 4 in the morning, giving me the same look you'd give to a child who was doing something they knew they weren't allowed to do. I sighed. I had two choices. Either I looked at his profile and opened Pandora's box, or I'd forget I ever saw his face and went back to living my very simple life of studying like a woman possessed with one goal only, which was being top of my class and getting into a great medical program after university. I knew that if Geillis had heard my arguments she'd mention the television show Grey's Anatomy and claim I could have both. I, on the other hand, wondered how Seattle Grace Hospital/Sloan Grey wasn't under constant scrutiny for favouritism, sexual harassment and various sexual transmitted diseases. Though I had to admit that some of the sex scenes did do the doctors some good.

I thought about it for a little while longer. Regardless of what his profile said, it didn't mean that I would ever meet him again, or that he was single, or that he was interested in me, or that he was even a student at the university. It actually didn't mean that I was interested in him! I was simply curious. So, what did it really matter that I looked at his profile? If anything, what I was about to do was not as much my fault as Uncle Lamb's, he was the one who always told me that knowledge was power.  
I clicked the profile.  
And…. Nothing.  
_"If you want to know more about James Fraser, send him a friend request."_

 

\------------->\------------>\----------->\------------->\-------------

 

"Ey, Claire!" Geillis was standing next to the stove throwing some carrots into a kettle of boiling water. I had just come home from my Thursday morning class and had a piping hot coffee in one hand, balancing a tote bag filled with books in the other, while simultaneously trying to take my shoes off.  
"Hang on just a moment," I said, taking a sip while toing off my shoe a little too vigorously making my tote slip down to my elbow.  
I managed to untangle myself, slip off my jacket and made it into the kitchen in one piece.  
"What's up?" I smiled, knowing that I only had one afternoon class left, then my test tomorrow morning and then we had a whole weekend to just relax and hit the various pubs scattered all over campus. An evening out with friends and classmates was just the thing to get my mind off the face I was trying to forget.

"So, remember when I was banned from speaking Frank's name out loud for a week?" Geillis leaned into the counter and hugged a cup of tea in her hands.  
"You mean, how you made up that rule and I simply went along with it? Yes, that was two days ago," I said, not too certain about where this was going.  
Geillis just smiled and wiggled an eyebrow.  
"Oh no, don't tell me he's coming over! Geillis!" I almost stomped my foot like a three-year-old in protest.  
"No, in fact, he'd much rather it was you that was home and I somewhere else if he ever were to come over," Geillis said with a raise of her slim eyebrow accompanied by a wicked smile.  
"I'm not sure I'm following," I said, taking another sip. I was still sleep deprived from my late Tuesday night.  
"Weel, I was talking to Frank today about how we're all going out on Friday, and he asked me if my friend was going to be there."  
"Who? Joe? How would he know Joe? He's not in any of his classes?" I asked, confused.  
Geillis rolled her eyes at me.  
"He was talking about you, you daftie!"

If someone wanted a model for portrait painting I would have been the perfect subject, because I had probably been standing perfectly still for about two minutes before Geillis' had had enough and poked me.  
"What, and why? And HOW? And just, noooooo…." I said rather eloquently.  
"Apparently you made quite the impression when you walked little Moffit," Geillis laughed.  
"Geillis! Though I am horrified at even the thought, how could he do that to you? You're a strange, wicked but also wonderful human being and though I do not understand what you see in him he should be more than happy that you'd even entertain the thought of giving him the time of day!" I was working up quite the panic. "How could he do that to you?".  
"Alright Claire, now we breathe," Geillis lead me by the shoulders and walked me over to our little couch. I slouched down like a sack of heavy potatoes still baffled by the situation.  
"I swear, nothing happened. I knocked on the door, introduced myself, handed him the dog and left."  
"Claire, again, calm down, I know you didn't do anything. Hell, I'd sooner believe you could travel through time than be interested in Frank Randall."  
"Oh God, how did this even happen?"  
"Well, apparently, Randall has been eyeing you for quite some time, having seen you around visiting Lamb, even before you enrolled. Unfortunately for him you never noticed him noticing you, so he has been trying to find ways for you to notice him. When you showed up on his door he thought you'd finally come around to the thought of him."  
Now it was my time to roll my eyes.  
"That is literally how every stalker episode of any crime show start. Spoiler alert, it's never mutual, and at least one person ends up dead," I muttered, still not believing the turn of events. I had questions.  
"I have questions."  
"I figured you'd might," Geillis said, getting comfortable in her nook of the couch.  
"First, should I get a restricting order?" I was half joking, half serious.  
"This is not America, and no, he is completely harmless," Geillis laughed. "Just think of him as a hopeless romantic gentleman with no idea how to approach his feelings."  
"Alright, second question, how do you feel about this? I mean, you were working your voodoo on him, and he just…"  
"Claire, you know me, I use them then lose them," Geillis said with a wave of her arm, like it was nothing.  
"I'll probably have four marriages under my belt by the time I hit 40. The only reason I approached Frank was to get a glimpse of his collection of rare books from around the time of Culloden. You know he has personal letters addressed from the Captain of Dragoons, Jonathan Wolverton Randall himself to his younger brother Alexander during the war? Not to mention his manuscript for a book about the Jacobite Rebellion. Oh, if I could only get my hands on of those… I'd be halfway through writing my master's degree tomorrow!"  
"So, you cosied up to Tweed to get to his… collection?" I laughed by my own double innuendo. Luckily, Geillis did too. Like I said, still sleep deprived.  
"The world can be hard on women Claire, that's why God gave us a few special skills to help us on the way," Geillis said with a dramatic flair.  
"Alright, so just so we're clear, we do not need to go out to get a ton of ice cream and watch sappy romantic comedies because you now have a broken heart?" I was a good friend.  
"I'll tell you what, I still owe you two whiskeys, so when Friday rolls around, we'll both get stupidly intoxicated. To celebrate your exam being over and get drunk enough to figure out a plan for me to get my hands on those old dusty notebooks."  
"Deal," We shook on it and giggled about the prospect of being careless for one single weekend. We had both been swamped since the beginning of the school year and both had some stream to blow off.  
"Now to my final question. Will Tweed be there on Friday?" Geillis turned on her puppy eyes again.  
"Geillis…."  
"Alright, before you get mad, hear me out. We will go out, Frank will meet the whole group, which isn't that strange since professors are out on campus all the time, then I'll get him just intoxicated enough to tell me the number combination to his safe. Once that is done, I'll make sure that enough people see me in various locations inside the pub so that when I sneak away in the middle of everything to crack the safe, I'll have a plethora of witnesses that can swear they saw me either here or there in the pub at the time of the crime."  
"I find that I now look at you with an equal amount of terror and pride, and I'll pay great money to see this take place. Fine, I'll still come out, even though there might be a pipe smoking professor in Tweed present."  
"That's all I ask."

 

\------------->\------------>\----------->\------------->\-------------

 

What do I do?! I internally screamed inside my head. Why was my brain not equipped with its own internal computer with an ejection system like a fighter-bomber for emergency extractions from unwanted situations?

I had been one of the last students to clear the exam room because I found that I took pleasure in torturing myself to the maximum by going over my all my notes to figure out what I'd just done wrong. In addition, my scarf got tangled into my purse, and I was still trying to perfect the odd dance of hot cup of coffee and balancing my book bag and various other items like phone and keys and make it all add up to resembling a normal functioning human being.  
It was these delays that made the following scenario possible.

I was walking down the university hallways, keeping my head down, typing away a short message to Geillis that I'd soon be home for pre-drinks. Joe had also texted saying he and Gail were going to grab a quick bite before coming over. Preoccupied, I wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings which is why I didn't have an escape plan when I was suddenly face to face with none other than Frank "Professor Tweed" Randall.

"Miss Beauchamp," he gave a little nod and a smile that actually reached his eyes this time, "How lovely too see you again."  
"Professor Randall," I replied, while the rest of my brain froze. He looked around us and saw that no one was paying us much attention.  
"I was wondering, and please tell me if this is too forward of me, but would you like to attend dinner tonight before going out?"  
"With… you?" Right about now would have been a great place for my brain to either start working or just… send me into a coma. Not only did I sound rude, but also less intelligent than I knew I was.  
"Forgive me, I thought that was implied," his mouth twitched up to a little smile. He was clearly nervous. Almost cute. Almost.  
"Oh, well. I…" Think Beauchamp, THINK! Then I saw him out of the corner of my eye. There I had my answer, James Fraser was apparently affiliated with the university in some way, as I could see him clear as day walking towards us.

Was I really going to do it? This was so out of character for me that I wondered if Geillis had slipped me something in the cup of coffee she'd made for me this morning.  
"I'm really sorry, but I do have a boyfriend," I finally said.  
"Oh, really? I'm terribly sorry, Geillis gave me the impression that you had only been in a few serious relationships your whole life and those were all with textbooks."  
I made a mental note to kill Geillis the second I got home.  
"Well, Geillis doesn't know everything. We've been trying to keep it a little under the radar because we wanted to figure out what we had before… broadcasting it to the whole world…"  
That sounded pretty plausible, right? I would have bought it. It sounded just like something a girl would say in one of Geillis' rom-com films.  
"So, this supposed boyfriend, does he have a name?"  
"Of course he has a name! Do you know many nameless men walking around?" The gall! I was clearly trying to let him down gently, so why would he insist on making things awkward?  
"I think he's made up," he finally said.  
I couldn't believe the situation I was in and I realised I was getting angry.  
"Excuse me what is this? Second grade? Look, here he comes right now!"  
WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING?!

"Jamie!" I said in what I believed to be a flirtatious voice.  
James Fraser had just reached us, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was trying to place me. I reached for his well-defined arm and snuggled up to his shoulder. When I saw the incredulous look on his face I made sure to turn my back to Randall. I stood on my toes and pretended to kiss his check.  
"Please play along, I'll owe you whatever you want, just pretend you're my boyfriend and I'll explain everything after!" I whispered into his ear. Coming back down on my feet I felt dizzy. How on earth did he manage to smell this good? And again, what the hell was I doing? And why did I think I had the right to come up with a nickname for my hostage pretend boyfriend?

"So, you're the boyfriend?" Now I really knew why I didn't like the man. The coldness in his eyes made his whole face harden and where other people had laugh lines, he simply looked angry.  
"Aye, I'm sorry, I'm not sure we've met before, James Fraser, though my friends and… girlfriend", he tried to wink at me but failed miserably," calls me Jamie." James was the better man and despite the uncomfortable situation reached his hand forward in an attempt at a handshake.  
Randall looked like he was about to refuse, but finally remembered that he was a grown ass man with manners, I hoped, and took James's hand and gave him a cold smile. From the look of things, it seemed like Randall was trying to squeeze the life out of Jamie's hand, but the highlander simply smiled. James reached an arm around me and rested his hand on my lower back. If I felt cold from the chill of Randall's smile, James' hand on my back was doing a damn fine job of heating me up again.  
"Well, it was nice to see you again, but we have to hurry home to get ready for tonight," I finally said, breaking the silence.  
"Oh, yes, I'll hope to see you too tonight James, wouldn't want to think this was all just an elaborate ruse."  
I now wanted to kill Randall too. There would be a lot of bloodshed tonight if I got my wish.  
"You're coming to the girls' apartment, right?"  
Fuck.  
"Of course he is," I said. What was I doing, what was I doing, WHAT was I doing? Poor man, first the dog conversation, then the silence, then the snot… and now a conspiracy theory. I was an awful human being.  
"Of course I am," Jamie said to my great astonishment. He turned to me and took my phone from my hand.  
"I'm just putting on your alarm Sassenach. I know how you like to nap after a big exam and usually forget to set it yourself," he gently brushed a curl from my face. My legs were about to give out.  
"Thank you, Jamie," I smiled and gently brushed my hand down his face, trying to keep the ruse up and not faint when I looked into his eyes.  
Chancing a glance at my phone I saw that he had punched in his number in my contacts.  
I gave him another smile, pleasantly surprised at his quick thinking.  
"So, I guess we're all going to get better acquainted tonight," Randall finally said, breaking our little moment.  
"Aye, I'll swing by your place at eight, lass," Jamie smiled.  
I was in big trouble.

 

Notes:  
I still have a lot of replying to do to you lovely individuals, but I hope another chapter makes up for it in the meantime!  
Off to work tomorrow for another gruelling long shift, so please, comment about your favourite holiday destination or the one thing you have to have on your tacos. Or something you wish will happen in the next chapter? Again, thank you for all your kudos and lovely words- you make me want to write which my brain appreciates! Thank you!


	5. Strangers in the Night- Part 1

Every now and then I would get the distinct feeling that the world was out to get me. It was like mother earth threw in a few curveballs just to observe how I would handle it. I knew I had made a big mess of things, and I knew that rationally I should spend the few hours I had before Jamie, Tweedy and I were destined to find ourselves in a peculiar threesome of confusion coming up with a game plan, but at the same time… I was knackered. I had not slept in what felt like days, and there was no chance that whatever my brain would conjure up of brilliant ideas would be just that, brilliant. I desperately needed some sleep before I was to take on the greatest scheme of my life. So instead of getting on top of things, I slowly undressed and climbed into bed, trying to forget the world around me for just a few precious moments. 

An irritating buzzing sound woke me up after what felt like minutes. Like I said, a rational human being would not be sleeping while the world around him or her was coming to a crashing halt because of the human's own stupidity and short-sightedness. I, however, was apparently no longer a rational human being and found myself blurry eyed trying to summon my phone from the trail of clothes I had left behind in the search for ultimate ignorant bliss.

With one foot still under the covers and the rest of my body almost on the floor, I reached the offending item that wouldn't shut up. With one eye open (the other was still asleep. Trust me, I'm almost a doctor. It's possible.) I noticed the name of the alarm:  
"Time to wake up Sassenach! You've got some scheming to do!" 

Of all the things I didn't understand at the moment in my state, the one thing that was on the forefront of my mind was how on earth Jamie would know that I liked to take naps after big exams? Had he just guessed extremely well? I did actually sort to napping after important exams, especially if I knew I was going out later in the evening. My irrational brain also believed in sleeping away problems and frankly, I found myself both emotionally and mentally exhausted. 

All my life I've had a strange relationship with the very concept of sleep. For as long I can remember I've had a hard time shutting off my brain enough for it to rest. I used to curse my friends or Lamb when they would announce they were going to bed, and then moments later found themselves in deep sleep. For me, it was very different. For some reason, my brain would never fully shut off and found it best to bring all types of conundrums to my attention once my head hit the pillow. It could be anything, from thoughts of my parents, to what I was doing with my life, to what I had said one morning 16 months before that I wish I could have phrased differently.

Like I said, everything between heaven and earth would float through my mind and I would lie awake for hours just staring up at the ceiling cursing my own brain. It was rare that the thoughts held anything of importance. Did I really need to contemplate why they call the first episode of a series a pilot? Is it because it's on air? Where can you apply for the job of naming things, like paint samples? Also, is it someone's job to be a professional scent sniffer of coffee and other goods? I should see a therapist. 

When I reached my teenage years and was given more freedom to choose my own schedule I found a way around it. I realised that if I studied for hours and hours on end, and drove myself to near exhaustion, my brain would finally admit defeat and let me rest for a while. The upside to this? I could study for hours. Downside? Everyone else was operating on functioning human being- time, which made morning classes and ultimately, morning people the death of me. Because of this, my routine was always to study intensely for an exam, to the extent that it would almost kill me because the nap afterwards would leave me feeling like I'd just drunk the elixir of life itself and rejuvenate me to the extent that I could almost pass as functioning. The one other backside to this was that when I first got a good nap in, I was useless the next ten minutes of being woken up and that is how Geillis found me. 

"Claire!" She came into the room laughing at my hair.   
"I know you're having some 'me'-time, but you need to start getting ready before people arrive!" She laughed all the way out of my room after petting what I could only imagine looked like a haystack instead of hair. 

I stumbled my way, still not fully awake, across the floor to my wardrobe. One look in the mirror and I realised that I could never be a Disney princess because I was the furthest thing from a million dollars when I woke up. My hair looked so much like a rat's nest that Prince Charming would run the other way. 

I was looking through my clothes when I remembered what was actually happening. 

\------------------>\----------------->\------------------>\--------------->\--------------------->

Scrambling for something to wear I rushed into the living room where Geillis, Gail and Joe had already started pre-drinking and setting out bowls of chips and salsa.  
"I did something." 

"Geillis," I repeated when no one paid me proper attention, "I did something horribly stupid."  
"Did you forget to sign your name on the test?"   
"Worse." Wait… I had remembered to sign my name, right? Yes, of course, snap out of this Beauchamp! Focus on damage control!

"You killed someone," Joe said, taking in my freaked out exterior and just nodding his head.   
"What?" I can only imagine what I looked like, haystack for hair, pyjama bottoms and a hoodie thrown over, a wild look in my eyes completing the ensemble.   
Geillis' eyes lit up. "You killed someone and now we have to find a place to bury the body and destroy all the evidence?"   
"Chop the body up and throw the parts into acid. Virtually intractable," Joe said with finality.   
I did what any person experiencing extreme stress would do. I started laughing. 

"I honestly don't know if I should be worried that you find me capable of murder, or worried about the fact that you seem to know what to do if that were to ever happen. I'm happy you have my back though. I guess?" Why did I not have normal friends?   
Gail, who was a social work student, rolled her eyes at the duo next to her.   
With one more look at Joe, who shrugged when Gail swatted his arm, saw the apparent stress I was under, she aided me into a chair and gave me a glass of wine.   
"Now Claire, you obviously didn't kill anyone, right? So, please tell us what has happened."   
Gail was the mother figure in our little group of misfits and I made a mental note to tell her how dear she was to me after I'd figured out how to survive the night. 

I made another mental list in my head.   
1\. Geillis, Gail and Joe need to know what I've done and pretend like they know Jamie in order to keep up the ruse.   
2\. I need to know more about Jamie in case it comes up in conversation.   
3\. I need to find something to wear and shower.  
4\. Alcohol. I need so much alcohol.   
5\. I'm sure I'm forgetting something important.

 

I explained what had happened to them and from the silence that followed, I went back to my list. Having number four fresh in my mind and looking at my group of friends who looked at me like I'd just grown another head, I chugged the whole glass in one gulp. Priorities. 

"So, you… conned James Fraser into being your pretend-boyfriend so that you could avoid Frank Randall's advances." Joe sported the same look he did whenever we came over a medical conundrum.   
"Yes. Also, you need to call him Jamie, because that's what his friends do, and since you're my friends, and you've obviously met him on multiple occasions, by extent, he is your friend."   
"Jamie, got it," Gail, always a saviour and team player. I didn't deserve her.  
I was dreading whatever Geillis' was thinking about this whole ploy, and she didn't disappoint.   
"So…" She left that hanging for a while, her face looking like the cat who just got the cream.   
"Bring it on," I said, falling back in the chair donning my hood up over my hair because I knew that this was not a conversation I really wanted to have.   
"Just a moment. I'm trying to wrap my head around this."   
I gave her another moment while I filled my now empty wine glass. 

"Alright, I think I have it now. In a few moments, Frank Randall and Jamie Fraser will be in this apartment. One trying to find a way to date you, the other already dating you except it's all a ruse to get the first one to not date you. You and Jamie must look like you're in a loving relationship when you have actually only met two times and never actually properly spoken to each other. Add the fact that there is alcohol and a whole bunch of unknowing guests involved and Claire, you've just given me the best birthday and Christmas present in the world."

Geillis' eyes lit up and before I knew it I had a petite woman in my lap.   
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait to see how this turns out! This is going to be so much fun!"   
I shook my head in silent dread. Geillis' loved drama too much.   
"This is going to be a disaster," I half sobbed, half laughed, having too many conflicting emotions. A hand on my knee brought me out of my self-pity.   
"Claire, you go wash up and find something cute to wear. In the meantime, we'll find out more about Jamie and I'll make sure these two behave. Then we'll take it one step at a time. It's gonna be fine," Gail winked at me.   
God, I loved that woman. 

\------------------>\----------------->\------------------>\--------------->\--------------------->

I walked into my room and headed straight to my bathroom. I glanced down at my watch. 19:06. How the hell was I supposed to manage everything from taming my hair to dressing to figuring out what I needed to know about Jamie in under an hour? I took a bottle of beer with me in the shower. Then I had a glass of Whiskey when applying make-up. In between drying my hair, I tried to better explain what had happened in the hallway with Jamie to Gail and Geillis. I also spent a lot of time while sorting through my clothes cursing Professor Tweed.   
By the time I had accomplished looking like a normal person, I had consumed enough alcohol to not legally drive for three days, which was probably not a good idea. Then again… If I suddenly blacked out, I didn't have to explain myself to anyone. The idea did appeal to me, but at the same time, this was my only chance to actually speak to Jamie, and with everything he was doing for me, it felt wrong to leave him stranded with a knocked-out Claire on the floor. 

I chanced another look at my watch. 19:58. People were going to be showing up any-. Before I had even finished the thought, there was a holler at the door and Geillis' peal of laughter flowed down the hallway to my bedroom. It was time to face the music. 

I walked out of my room wearing simple black skinny jeans and a striped thin sweater. I was tempted to wear heels, but realising how much alcohol I'd consumed, sock-clad feet would have to do. This night would be dramatic enough without me breaking a leg in the process. Apparently, the drama had already started. Who would have guessed that both Professor Tweed and Jamie would be of the punctual sort? Someone out there had it in for me, I was sure of it. There was no other explanation for finding Jamie and Frank head to head in my hallway trying to stare each other down. 

"So, I see you made it," Randall said with a wicked smile.   
"Aye, of course, wouldn't miss it for the world," Jamie said, casually taking off his outer jacket. I figured this was as good a time as any to make my presence known.   
"Hi," I smiled up at the giant, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. Apparently, I had just enough alcohol in me to be shy and bold at the same time.   
"There ye are," Jamie marvelled, casually resting his arm around me, "Hi yerself," he said, returning the kiss.   
"Claire, show our guests into the living room! The hallway is getting crowded!" Geillis' shouted somewhere from the kitchen. 

We made our way into the kitchen, Jamie and I with our arms around each other, and Randall lingering in the background plotting his next move.   
"Here you go Jamie, I made it just the way you like it," Gail handed Jamie a glass of Whiskey on the rocks and I hoped he actually did like it. I had no idea if my friends had been successful in finding out anything about him while I was getting myself presentable.   
"Thanks, Gail, you know me too well," Jamie said to my surprise. For all I knew, he could just be playing along. Regardless, every little detail was helping us throw Randall of our scent. 

"So, how did you two meet?" Speak of the devil, Randall was not going to let this go without further investigation, which is why we found ourselves unwilling participants in an impromptu interrogation.   
"Well…She had the roundest arse I'd ever seen, and I thought to myself…."   
I stared up at Jamie, he did not just…   
I started laughing. There was no way these words were coming out of his mouth.   
"I'm sorry Randall, I need to see Jamie for a second, if you'll excuse us," I rushed, still laughing about the absurd notion that Jamie chose that time to crack a joke.   
I dragged the poor guy into my bedroom, almost showing him into my bookcase, which at the time had seemed like a brilliant idea. When the door closed behind us I realised that perhaps that had been the alcohol talking. 

 

\------------------>\----------------->\------------------>\--------------->\--------------------->

Jamie was standing so close to me that I could make out his five o'clock shadow and I had the strangest urge to run my fingers over his cheek. I had been so perplexed the first time I'd done it in the hallway that my mind hadn't caught up to what I was doing, and now I felt robbed by my past self. I tentatively reached up, but then I remembered that this was all pretend and I should be doing something else with my hands, anything that was not touching this poor man.   
As my hand was already on an upwards trajectory I reached for the first thing my hands encountered.  
"Huh, I thought that was more second date knowledge, but if ye insist," Jamie chuckled, "I promise, I have a lot of problems, but that isn't one of them." 

I looked down at the book in my hands and felt a blush creep over my chest and reach my face. Like previously stated, some higher power really had it in for me it seemed. Of all the books in my little library, it had to be this one. 'All you need to know about haemorrhoids'.   
"I… don't even…" I stuttered.   
"Sassenach," Jamie put his arms around my shoulders and tilted my head up so that he could look into my eyes. I felt faint.   
"You dinna need to be nervous around me, I will no harm ye, nor question your literary preferences, odd as they may be." He tried to wink at me but failed adorably.   
I couldn't help but laugh at this and I felt myself relax a little.   
"I'm sorry, I don't think I've ever made a worse first impression on someone in my life and apparently I insist on making it worse," I held up the haemorrhoid book and continued.   
"Required reading first year, I promise it's not for personal research." I shook my head and tossed the book on my desk. There was a moment of silence, and I dreaded the moment it would become uncomfortable. I was just about to suggest we head back to the kitchen when Jamie spoke up. 

"So, tell me about yerself, Sassenach," he said, leaning against my desk.   
"Why do you keep calling me that?"   
"Ah, Sassenach? I'm sorry, I dinna mean anything bad about it, it just means outlander. From your accent alone, I know that ye were not born in Scotland."  
"Oh. Well, no, you're right about that," I said. I was having a very hard time coming up with something to say to that would explain my behaviour and how Jamie had been roped into all this. Evidently, Jamie had mistaken my confusion for something else entirely. He stepped closer and gently took my hand.   
"You dinna need be afraid of me Claire, I wasn'a plannin' on forcing myself on ye."   
"I never thought you would," I shyly smiled back, wondering how he could be this calm and collected when my brain was doing summersaults with conflicting thoughts. 

Finally, I thought I had sorted my brain out enough to start having a conversation. I sat down on the floor and motioned for Jamie to follow. The bed would have been more comfortable, but I didn't trust my drunk self to keep my hands off him.   
"I have questions."   
"Ah, I suppose you do. Under the circumstances. What is it you want to know?"   
"Well, I… What the hell. Might as well come straight out with it. Why did you agree to be my pretend boyfriend for the night? I mean, I didn't give you much of a choice earlier today, but you could have easily backed out of this evening?" 

"I dinna see how much choice I had if I were to protect you from the likes of Randall."  
"I don't understand." I truly didn't. I knew I didn't like Randall, but it was just my intuition, nothing more.   
"Ah… There were rumours about him… where he used to teach earlier. I only ken because my sister Jenny used to go to that school. About him and former students." From the dark look that came across Jamie's face, whatever Randall had been suspected of doing, I could tell it wasn't good. 

"So, you agreed to this… to keep me safe?" I was baffled.   
"Weel, that's the gist of it. I figured I owed you as much, having run you down and all. If need be, you have the protection of my body tonight. I honestly dinna ken what that man is capable of, but I'd rather not take any chances."

I was drawn to him like a magnet. I could see each curl how they twisted down in spirals to rested on his high cheekbones. Before I knew what was happening we were leaning towards each other and I could feel the puff of breath from his lips. One millimetre more and our lips would touch.   
"Jenny? Tell me about your family." Claire Beauchamp, you chicken shit.   
Jamie chuckled. "How many generations back?" 

\------------------>\----------------->\------------------>\--------------->\--------------------->

And so we sat on my bed and talked about our families while just beyond my door the party was raging on. It was like we were in our own little cocoon where only he and I existed. Though I was sipping generously on my beer, I realised it wasn't the alcohol that med me feel more and more at ease. There was something about Jamie that made me breathe easier from just being around him. 

I knew we couldn't stay locked away from the rest of the party forever, and with a sigh I begrudgingly found myself starting to stand up. Shouldn't have attempted that Beachamp.   
My knees buckled underneath me as I realised my left leg must have fallen asleep while we were talking on the floor. A pair of strong hands caught me before I could properly face-plant into the carpet.   
It felt like someone had stolen the air around us. All I could focus on was a set of very tempting lips. That I wanted on my own.

"So, I think we should kiss." Yes, my brain had more or less short-circuited. I'm sure Geillis had spiked my beer. What was I saying?   
"Aye, I guess you're right," Jamie chuckled nervously. "If we're to sell this to Randall it should look like we've done it before, right?"  
"Right," my voice came out embarrassingly squeaky. 

I was right though if we were to sell this to the rest of the room, or anyone else we'd might encounter, we needed to look somewhat comfortable with each other, and not like deer caught in the light. Like how I looked right now staring at my sock-clad feet. 

I gave another deep sigh. 

"So, we should..." And then my handmade some whimsical notion between our bodies.   
Since I thought I was ready for this, I leaned in gracefully. At least that's how I hoped it looked, the truth was my sock got tangled in carpet and I sort of just clumsily fell forward. I looked up to adoring eyes and I gave a little lopsided smile back. You can do this Beauchamp. The second my lips were a breath away from Jamie's I realised I couldn't. 

What if I had forgotten how to kiss? It had been years since the last time. I couldn't even remember who I had kissed! I ransacked my brain. It was... Could it be that many years ago? Yes, it was coming back to me. Asim. Sunkissed, gorgeous Asim. He had worked as a guide for Uncle Lamb a few years ago when Lamb had been invited by The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo to authenticate a bracelet thought to have belonged to Irukaptah himself. I was seventeen, he was 23 and it had been my very own version of a summer fling. 

He took me to a dig-site, we ate lunch on top of the pyramid of Unas and raced each on the back of camels. Thinking back on it now it sounded like a trailer to a film. The reason I had allowed myself to get carried away was because I wanted the experience, and I knew that it wasn't forever. I could do short-term commitment without it interfering with my schooling. 

We parted ways like friends and vowed that if he was ever in my parts of the world, or I his, we would meet over a glass of Qusab.   
However, that was years ago and the only action my lips had gotten the last years were gently caressing the top of coffee mugs. Oh, and a tipsy Geillis, but that was another story.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, should we just..." Evidently, I was having a bit of a panic attack. Do I lean in? Does he? Do we discuss which to which side we lean? We probably should. Nose blood would definitely not help sell our story. As these thoughts were running through my head I started tapping my hand on my leg. Apparently, I had just developed a nervous habit from out of nowhere.

Hadn't I read a study that said people were inclined to lean to the left when going in? Should I just assume that-  
I hadn't even finished my thought before I felt a set of soft lips on my own.

Jamie's lips were as gentle as feathers brushing across rose petals and I found myself wanting more. He wasn't kissing his grandmother on the lips here. 

"I would hope not," Jamie chuckled. 

"What?" Oh, OH! "...I said that out loud?" I felt a blush spread all the way from my chest to the tip of my ears. 

Jamie chuckled and brought his hands to my hips, pulling me closer. 

"Aye Sassenach, ye did. Let me see if I can rectify that." And boy did he deliver. 

\----- 

 

Disclaimer:   
Guys- I know. But before you start: look at how long that chapter is? It's currently 05:33 and I have work at 9, so all mistakes will be worn as a badge of honour!   
But also, I think you'll really like my excuse because it's a pretty darn good one. I…. went to Scotland.  
More specifically, I went to Lallybroch, Crainsmuir, Inverness (Or rather, Fife) Fort William, The Print Shop… you name it, I did it. I even drank Whiskey. I also have another confession to make. I started watching X-files and apparently, Gillian Anderson has ruined my brain for the moment. Don't know how or why, but I'm having a really difficult time getting into the Outlander spirit. (Honestly thought my Outlander tour would help, but I met some people who were with the cast and I got bummed out from some of their stories. THAT being said: not everyone can like everyone, so I don't give that much thought- but alas, it did something to the writing muse! I hope it'll pass ASAP!)   
Since I can't promise frequent updates, I have a proposition: should I continue this one (without knowing when the next update will come) OR would you rather I wrap this up in the next chapter and then focus on little snippets here and there instead? Finally, I just want to thank you for all the love this little story has gotten. Your kudos and lovely comments have made me get a new love for writing: You guys rock.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Here's a list of disclaimers!  
> 1\. Not a native English speaker or writer. Sorry in advance.  
> 2\. Doing this because I desperately need to be creative in one way or another.  
> 3\. (see 2) I work crazy hours which I have absolutely no control over, which is why updates are gonna be all over the place, much like my brain.  
> 4\. If you hate it, please let me know. If you detest it only slightly, please let me know? Reason you should do this: I need something to sustain my brain while at said work with those crazy hours. I work with people. Like, customer people who are always right and never wrong and usually rarely decent. (Though there are a few old gentlemen that are as sweet as can be that makes up for all the 40-50 something housewives that snap their fingers at you and mistakes you for a dog.  
> 5\. Right now, you might be wondering where on earth I work… (see 4)  
> 6\. About the story: Hopefully they'll seem more in character as the story progresses. I think I'll play around a little with POV for the first two or three chapters, but then it'll flow a little better? Hopefully? Who knows. This is where you can complain to me. (see 4) Also, that title... Could have been better. Also, did I mention this was rushed? I just wanted to get it up before bed/work.  
> 7\. Think this is obligatory: do not own the characters, nor the show. Things would be a little different.  
> 8\. Wow, you've made it this far? Well then…. Thank you! And expect more rambling soon. I appreciate your eyes following my typed words down a laptop/mac or phone screen. Oh, or Ipad/tablet. (It's 2018: everyone is equal, and love is love.) Night!


End file.
